


Falling (HUMANIZED)

by OnYourRight



Category: Cars (Pixar Movies)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen, OC
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:47:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25596772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnYourRight/pseuds/OnYourRight
Summary: Humanized version of Falling. The regular version can be found on my profile.
Relationships: Cruz Ramirez/Jackson Storm
Kudos: 5





	1. Prologue

He observed the flaxen vehicle whizzing past, his brown orbs twinkling in the dim stadium light. What was her name again? Cruz Ramirez, yes, he remembered. The 'rookie sensation', they called her. He had never seen her except on television, until now.

She was quite the racer, though he knew that he could probably beat her in a race, both on the track and off any day. After all, he didn't have nearly 8 years of experience of (unofficial) racing for nothing. He preferred muscle cars like the Challenger due to their speed and raw power, and overall he liked the look of muscle cars. It was one reason Challengers were so well known, and it was why he'd stick with using them for the rest of his life.

He wasn't vain, no. That was his archenemy's job. Jackson Storm had the ego, the charm, and the quiet confidence he would never have. But that was fine by him—he was here for a reason, and it wasn't to beat the cocky Next-Gen.

It was the last lap now, and Cruz was struggling to keep the lead. Storm was gritting his teeth, pewter irises glinting with fierce determination, a slight smirk on his lips as he stayed behind, tailgating Cruz. It was only when the finish line was a meter away that he streaked past, leaving a certain daffodil car behind. Interestingly, he saw guilt reflect in Storm's eyes, but it was gone in an instant.

Justin quickly smoothed out his outfit, a black suit, before heading over to the pits. He flashed his pit pass at the security guard who nodded and quickly let him through.

Cruz Ramirez shot a glare at a smug Jackson Storm before, panting, parking her car, and walking up to Lightning. He watched her break down for a few moments before pulling her aside and turning around—he loved Cruz as if she was his daughter, but he wanted to avoid paparazzi questions.

"Hello," he said as smoothly as possible. Lightning seemed shocked for a second before regaining his posture.

After returning the greeting, Lightning briskly asked to leave. It was too early for that, though. He blocked Lightning several times before the veteran finally got the idea to introduce himself.

"I apologize," Lightning said with a tight smile, "I might've forgotten to introduce myself. I am Lightning McQueen, and this is Cruz Ramirez."

"I know," he said. "I've been watching you."

"Who are you, anyway?" asked Lightning with a slight frown.

"The name's Ace, Justin Ace."


	2. Chapter 1

"I really must have a word with you, Mr. McQueen," said Justin, trying to keep his professional air. Lightning McQueen gave him a skeptical look. He began motioning with his hand for Cruz to follow, but Justin stopped him.

"Alone," he added, trying to sound polite. Justin knew the famous veteran racer adored Cruz as only a father could, and he respected that. He understood Lightning had no reason at all to trust him. Lightning seemed to hesitate before he reluctantly gave a nod. Justin hummed in satisfaction. Could this actually work out? He quickly turned around, and Lightning followed him.

They reached the parking lot and approached Justin's black Challenger. Justin liked darker vehicles and that was obviously shown in the midnight black finish, blacked-out rims, and tinted windows. Even the taillights were tinted... _That tint looks pretty dark. Is it even legal to have such a blacked-out car? I wonder if anyone has ever nearly crashed into him... On a side note, that's a pretty nice car..._ , Lightning idly thought.

"Get in, Mr. McQueen.", called out Justin, snapping Lightning back to reality. Even at night, Justin could see the apprehension Lightning had but he obliged anyway, getting in on the passenger side.

Lightning didn't know a thing about this strange man who claimed he had important information to share, nor did he believe anything he said. Perhaps it was his overprotectiveness of Cruz getting to him, but based on the feeling he felt in his inner workings he was almost certain this little 'chat' he and this well-dressed man were about to have was about the Latina racer… wasn't going to be a good thing.

The car ride was filled with an uncomfortable silence, but in the meanwhile, Lightning decided he'd try and figure out more about Justin. He looked around the car. _It's pretty clean, and it smells nice in here. So he's well-kept._

He glanced at the rearview mirror. _Hmm, nothing there._

He checked the driver's hands. _No ring. So, I've figured out he probably had no spouse or children, considering the car he drives would make child transportation problematic._ Lightning internally scoffed. _You'd make a_ great _detective, McQueen._ _Nice work._

He sat there until they pulled into the parking lot of a quaint, yet fancy, café. They parked up and walked into the café. At this time of night, not many patrons were around so they quickly found a table. Justin gave him a pleasant smile that Lightning immediately felt suspicious about. But he made himself comfortable on a very comfortable as Justin ordered two decafs and a few pastries from a passing waiter. Everything seemed too grand, too beautiful.

"I saw you back there." Lightning perked up at this statement and looked over at Justin.

"What do you mean?"

Justin smiled. "I mean, I saw you when we were in the car, you were trying to get to know me. Good attempt, as you _can_ tell a lot about someone by looking at their car but you can have been more subtle. If you're wondering, no I'm not married and I don't have kids." He chuckled and continued, "If you wanted to know more about me you could've just asked, you know. I'm happy to answer questions if you have any." He finished off his sentence and gave a wicked grin before pulling out his phone.

Lightning's eyes narrowed. The chair he was on was a deep, royal-feeling burgundy color, embroidered with a gold thread he instantly felt was real. The lights were large and round, not unlike those at a buffet restaurant, except for the fact that the border was pure silver, encrusted with precious gems. He suddenly realized he was at one of those places—somewhere fit only for the richest people, somewhere only celebrities and royalty could go. A cup of coffee would cost all too much. Two and a plate of pastries? Forget it.

"Oh, don't worry," said Justin casually putting his phone away, noticing the entranced look in Lightning's ocean-blue orbs, "I'm paying. You'll find life as an attorney and pseudo-private eye pays quite well." Lightning nearly leaped up to the ceiling. He snapped his attention back to the attorney in surprise.

"Attorney?", Lightning asked now with a little confusion in his voice.

Justin replied, "Yes. Lawyer, barrister, counselor, whatever you call it."

"And a 'pseudo-private eye'?"

Justin shrugged. "It comes with my day job, I suppose. Not that it matters."

Lightning quickly ran through the possible scenarios he could think of as to why an attorney and "pseudo-private eye" would show up out of the blue. Was he being sued? Was Cruz being sued? Was it _both_ of them? If so, he couldn't think of anyone that would do such a thing.

At least, not at the moment.

He decided to start strong. "Am I being sued?", he said.

If Justin had been surprised by that question, he didn't show it. "No," he replied.

"Cruz?"

This time, Justin gave a slight smile before replying, "No again, Mr. McQueen. Don't worry, you're not being served if that is your main concern."

"So then who hired you? And why are you here?"

"Attorneys don't necessarily have to be hired to ask questions, among other things Mr. McQueen. I'd think you knew that, seeing as how you're dating a lawyer."

Lightning paused as the waiter brought the pastries and coffees to their table. He thanked the waiter and continued their facsimile of a conversation.

"But this is about Cruz, right?" Lightning asked as he narrowed his eyes.

Justin waved a hand in the air dismissively before taking a sip of his coffee. "Half true," he said nonchalantly, "but I'm also here to talk about Jackson Storm."

Lightning nearly exploded with rage at this statement. "Make it fast," he hissed. Looks like he'd be needing that coffee as well.

Justin gave him a forced grin and bit into one of the pastries. He finished the bite and continued. "Hey, I don't like Jackson Storm any more than you do. But what I'm about to tell you is absolutely true. If you argue against the evidence, you're practically arguing against yourself." He took a deep, unnecessary breath for dramatics.

"Cruz Ramirez is in love with Jackson Storm."

At first, Lightning was upset beyond belief. This was a joke. It had to be. A total joke. Then he thought a little about it. Could it be true? He took a few seconds to study the television up ahead as he wondered, idly biting into a pastry.

"Today, the famed street racer Delta Sigma was seen racing at yet another illegal race. State police are searching for her at the moment, but they have still seen no sign of her. Federal authorities are also stepping in to assist in capturing her." A picture of a glittering black-and-gold Lamborghini Ankonian, side spray-painted with a gold Delta and Sigma, appeared on the screen. The driver's gaze swept coolly over Lightning, who felt unnerved over the force of the glare behind the grin.

Justin noticed, taking another bite of the pastry. "Distracted, now are we?" he asked. With a soft click, the TV shut off. "Let's not do that anymore."

Lightning sighed. "I believe you," he said.

Justin perked up. He blinked in amazement. "Wow, you're taking this well—"

"—I believe you've cracked," continued Lightning, "Cruz would never fall for a cocky, stupid Next-Gen like Storm."

So it wasn't time to celebrate. Justin frowned before recollecting himself. "Okay," he said slowly, quietly. His eyes hardened. "But just know," Justin began before pausing, "If this situation isn't handled properly, it could mean trouble for both of the racers." And with that, the lawyer called over the waiter for the checkbook before putting a few bills on the table and walking off.


End file.
